Student Fundraising Strategies That Actually Work

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The National Leadership Academies share an inspiring story of one student who transformed the way we look at fundraising to attend the Ultimate Med Internship in India.

Boston, MA (PRWEB)March 16, 2017

There are bake sales, door-to-door appeals, emails to parent friends. But which student fundraising strategies actually work if a high school student needs to raise funds for an educational trip?

The National Leadership Academies shares an inspirational fundraising story of one student’s experience raising funds for an Ultimate Med Internship trip to India.

The Ultimate Med Internship is a 17-day program held in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India providing students with a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Students have the opportunity to spend time in the gross anatomy lab working on full human cadavers; be in the operating room or on the observation deck viewing surgeries and talking to physicians; and shadow physicians who are treating patients in emergency rooms, clinics and their medical offices. Students can even spend time in the morgue with pathologists and doctors who are performing autopsies.

Alexis Ajello attended UMI in India from June 16 to July 3, 2015. Ajello was able to raise every penny she needed to go on the trip through tried and true fundraising techniques, plus a few that she came up with on her own. “I had asked my parents to borrow from my college fund to make the initial deposit for the trip and hold my place for the internship,” Ajello said. From there, she began making plans to fundraise and was sure her ideas came to fruition.

Ajello wants to let those students who are interested in applying for UMI know that it is possible to do so with money raised by fundraising. She shared quick tips to give students ideas for fundraisers that are easy to follow if they dedicate the time. “Starting a GoFundMe page and sharing it with your friends and family on Facebook is a great start,” she said. Ajello raised a majority of her funds through her GoFundMe page, which can be shared by as many people who are interested while raising awareness about the internship’s goal. She didn’t stop there.

Another great way to help raise money is to work with your school. “I took the initiative to sell football tickets during the season; in return, my principal allowed me to keep one dollar of every ticket I sold,” Ajello said. She also spent time contacting local news sources to help share her story. Eventually, one network shared her story and the ways that people could contribute if they were interested in doing so. “You will be surprised by how much your community will want to help once they’ve learned about you and UMI,” she said. Ajello was so successful in her efforts to raise funds that she not only raised all the money she needed for the trip, but had additional funds that she chose to donate back to her community.

The National Leadership Academies supports America’s high-achieving high school students through career and focus-area programs and services. By creating the National Academy of Future Physicians and Medical Scientists and the National Academy of Future Scientists and Technologists, the National Leadership Academies is positioned to support students with skills, motivation, education, mentorship and unique experiences so they can stay on track to achieve their goals.